Central Business District Code Compliance Program
The Central Business District is unique in that the buildings are constructed to the property line and many are multi-story in height. There are also common walls separating the individual buildings within each block. These buildings were originally constructed with minimal regard to exits, protected corridors and other life safety provisions that are commonplace in newer buildings. As a result, a fire started in one building can quickly spread to the adjacent buildings and an entire City block could be destroyed. These historical deficiencies make it difficult to utilize the available downtown floor space to its maximum, especially the upper floors. Today, the Central Business District remains underdeveloped and underutilized because improvement projects or changes in the use of the buildings often fail to even get off the ground due to the cost of code compliance. In many instances where a change of use is proposed or a building has remained vacant for a long period of time, the Fire Code will mandate the use of a fire suppression system as part of the life safety code compliance. An example might be a change from retail to a restaurant but more often, it is the use of upper floors for commercial purposes. It is the mixture of occupancies and the presence of multiple floor levels that oftentimes mandates the use of a fire suppression system. The cost of fire suppression is significant but in the Central Business District, the cost is much greater because the water main is located either under the street or sidewalk. In order to install the fire line into the building, the street and/or sidewalk must be excavated and replaced, adding significant cost to the process.
This past February, the PCUA approved a resolution that establishes an annual fund set aside in the amount of $240,000.00 specifically to assist downtown property owners who wish to improve their property to make way for a new occupant or a change of use that triggers the mandatory installation of a fire suppression system. The cash incentive is 50% of the cost to install a fire suppression system up to and not exceeding $60,000.00. PCUA will pay the incentive after the improvement project has been completed and a Certificate of Occupancy has been issued to the building owner. Staff received the second application under this program for the building located at 305 South Pine Street. Although not situated along or near Grand Avenue, the property is zoned Central Business District, and as such, is eligible for funding. The very large two-story structure was most recently utilized by a moving, transfer and storage company for many years and before that, as a warehouse for goods that were off loaded from rail cars. In September of 2022, Combat Syndicate moved to this location after purchasing the building. Since the building was not sprinkled, the second floor could not be utilized at all and the maximum occupancy was limited on the first floor as well. The Building Inspector and the Fire Marshall worked with the owner to set occupancy restrictions so they could still operate on a limited basis. The application was submitted with three bids from licensed fire protection companies and a bid from Sober Brothers for the fire line. Potter Fire Protection’s submittal is the lowest and covers all the requirements as outlined by the 2018 International Fire Code.